IKEA to install Kansas’ largest rooftop solar array

IKEA is planning to install Kansas’ largest rooftop solar array in the fall in Merriam. Pending permits, rooftop panel installation will begin next month. The 92,000-square-foot solar array will consist of a 869.25-kW system, built with 2,850 panels, and will produce approximately 1,348,000 kWh of electricity annually for the store, the equivalent to reducing 930 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) – equal to the emissions of 196 cars or providing electricity for 128 homes yearly (calculating clean energy equivalents at www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html). IKEA Merriam will be the second U.S. store for IKEA with a geothermal component to its heating and cooling system. (Denver-area IKEA Centennial opened with geothermal in 2011.) Incorporating geothermal and solar will significantly reduce the energy IKEA Merriam will draw from the power grid.